LASERS IN GYNAECOLOGY (Lasers in Medicine and Surgery Series 4)

The past decade has been an exciting time for those involved in laser surgery. In gynaecology the CO2 laser has become firmly established as the treatment of choice for pre-malignant disease of the cervix. Potentially the most exciting development of recent years has been the explosion of interest in endoscopic laser operations, culminating in the general surgeons recognizing the value of laparoscopy by removing the gall-bladder by this route. Laparoscopy has been used increasingly in gynaecology for the diagnosis of pelvic pain and infertility and the introduciton of lasers of differing wavelengths offers a very real possibility of being able to perform corrective surgery at the same time. In this work, the editor has included chapters from both sides of the Atlantic describing the development of laser laparoscopy, present and future applications and the possible role of Nd-Yag, Argon, KTP and C02 lasers in the treatment of gynaecological diseases. Since this is essentially a practical textbook there are detailed descriptions of several laparoscopic operations ranging from laparoscopic drilling of polycystic ovaries to excision of ovarian endometriomas and from the removal of sub-serous fibroids to the conservative treatment of ectopic pregnancy.